Maintenance, Repair & Operations

Unscheduled Should Not Mean Unplanned

April 21, 2020

Tips for reducing time spent on unexpected repairs

The idea that a scheduled repair should be planned seems obvious. Why would you schedule it and not plan it? However, when something unexpectedly breaks, the general expectation is that maintenance is going to fix it immediately. This would seem to leave no time for planning.

Things are not always as they seem. The planning takes place long before the breakage occurs. If that planning is done well, repair time can be decreased significantly.

Here are some tips:

Identify the most likely failure modes for each piece of equipment. Write a troubleshooting and repair plan for each one.
If a given repair is complicated, make a how-to video and add a QR code to the repair procedure.
For each piece of critical equipment, train and “certify” select individuals to perform repairs on that equipment. Ideally, each maintenance person will have a few different certifications and there will be plenty of overlap.
For each piece of critical equipment, permanently set up task lighting that can be turned on when needed for repairs.

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.